


like real people do

by nevermindthewind



Series: as long as there are stars above you [3]
Category: How to Get Away with Murder
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gender Reveal, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-23
Updated: 2017-10-23
Packaged: 2019-01-22 02:33:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12471520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nevermindthewind/pseuds/nevermindthewind
Summary: Laurel and Wes make bets on the sex of their baby.





	like real people do

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. I wrote this before last weeks episode for a request on my tumblr (nevermindthewind.tumblr.com check me out) and am now just getting around to posting it on here.
> 
> 2\. I'm getting real worried about Laurel this season, anyone else feeling the same way??
> 
> 3\. The title's from the song of the same name by Hozier. 
> 
> 4\. As always, kudos and comments are appreciated!

_ 19 weeks, 1 day _

 

Laurel couldn’t seem to catch a break.

 

Everyday there was something due or something she was responsible for. Midterms were only a week away and she was determined to raise her horrendous GPA, which meant when she wasn’t in class she was studying.  When she wasn’t studying she was at the clinic, doing research and finding witnesses.  And when she wasn’t working she was sleeping, her newest addition having sucked up any of her remaining energy.  Normally she thrived on the chaos, on the ups and downs that came with the world of law.  But as she drove back to their apartment after a day of outlines and note cards, all she wanted was to crawl into bed and stay there for the next year.  

 

Or at least until midterms were over.

 

Once she got home she dragged herself up the stairs, feeling a slight pang of disappointment as she saw that Wes’ bike was not in it’s usual spot.  He had mentioned something about staying late at work, but still, she would’ve thought he’d be home by now.  She unlocked the door and upon entering the apartment immediately stepped out of her heels and discarded her blazer before padding over to their dresser.  She began to undress as gracefully as she could, although truth be told nothing about her was graceful these days, her growing belly making everything a bit more difficult. After a solid five minutes of peeling herself out of her suit she changed into a pair of clean boxers and his old Ohio State hoodie, relishing the worn, cozy fabric on her skin.  

 

Realistically, she knew she should finish her outline.  However that didn’t seem to stop her from crawling into bed. 

 

_ A little power nap wouldn’t hurt, right? _

 

At that exact moment she felt a kick, as if the baby could see right through her bullshit.

 

Laurel merely let out a small laugh as she pulled the sheets up to her chin. 

 

_ It’ll be fine. Fifteen minutes, tops. _

 

She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

 

\--

 

Sometime later she was woken up by someone sitting beside her on the bed.

 

“Hey sleepyhead.”

 

Laurel opened her eyes the tiniest bit just as Wes laid down beside her and pulled her close.

 

“Hi,” she yawned. “When’d you get here?”

 

He planted a kiss on the back of her head as she scooted closer to him and wrapped his arms around her little bump, exhaustion making her even more affectionate.

 

“Like ten minutes ago? I would’ve let you sleep but we need to get going.”

 

She turned her head so she was facing him.

 

“Where are we going?” 

 

He looked down, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

 

“The doctor,” he replied, as if it was obvious. “Our appointment is in twenty minutes.” When Laurel’s face didn’t change, he kept going, 

 

“We get to find out the sex of the baby?”

 

Suddenly she remembered; she knew there was a reason why she had told Michaela why they couldn’t study until later that night.

 

“Right,” she said, cringing as she brought her hand to her forehead. “God, I can’t believe I forgot.”

 

“It’s okay,” he assured her with a smile. “I’m glad you got a nap in, though. Feeling better?”

 

Laurel nodded, still not quite awake. “Yeah I am,” she replied. As she pulled herself into a sitting position an impish grin began creeping onto her face.  “You ready to pay up?” 

 

“Not a chance,” he replied with a shake of his head. 

 

Wes had been calling the baby a girl since the first ultrasound, while Laurel was certain it was a boy.  They both had become so convinced they were right that a couple a weeks ago Wes had actually bet her ten dollars it was a girl. Now they both were taking every chance to mess with each other.  If she was being honest, she’d be happy either way...

 

...but her competitive side  _ really _ wanted it to be a boy.

 

“Your money’s mine, Gibbins,” she taunted.

 

\--

 

Thirty minutes later they were in an examination room, watching the doctor run the wand over Laurel’s growing belly. 

 

After a couple seconds the screen went from black to filled with the image of their baby, the little peanut that now looked less like a peanut and more like an actual human child. Laurel immediately grabbed Wes’ hand.  

 

“Hey baby,” she whispered.

 

She still couldn’t quite get over it, the fact that they two of them were actually doing this.  It was so, well, _ normal _ , and after almost two years of non-stop chaos, normal seemed too good to be true.  But as terrified as they both were of something going wrong and of repeating the same mistakes their parents made, each time Laurel saw that swirling image on the screen she felt calm, grounded. It was a kind of peace she’d never felt before.

 

“Do you two want to know the sex?” the doctor asked, interrupting Laurel’s inner dialogue.

 

“Yes,” they said at the same time, eagerness echoing through their voices. 

 

Dr. Nelson chuckled to herself. 

 

“Give me one second,” she said as she continued to make notes on her chart. 

 

“Last chance to change your mind,” said Wes, smiling down at her. 

 

Laurel shot him a look and raised her eyebrows. “Nice try.”

 

“Alright,” said Dr. Nelson, pulling her eyes away from the screen and turning to face the anxious couple. Laurel felt Wes squeeze her hand, reminding her to breathe.

 

“Congratulations,” the doctor said, “It’s a girl.”

 

“Oh my god,” gasped Laurel, bringing her free hand to her mouth.  “Oh my god!”

 

She was too thrilled to even be mad she lost. Her gaze moved from the screen to Wes, who looked just as excited as she felt.

 

“A girl!” he exclaimed, leaning down to kiss her. She raised her head to meet him, cupping the back of his neck in her hand as their lips touched.  

 

As she pulled back and looked into Wes’ eyes, Laurel’s mind flooded with images: Wes carrying a little girl with dark curls on his shoulders, Laurel and that same girl finger painting pictures for Wes for Father’s Day, the three of them on her favorite beach in Mexico making sandcastles and jumping over the waves.  A few months ago she’d never dreamed of having kids.  Kids required stability, which was something Laurel could never imagine for herself, let alone for a child. 

 

Now as she layed there watching Wes watch their baby, their  _ daughter, _ on the screen, it was all she could think about. All she wanted.

 

“I love you,” said Wes, turning back to her, his dimples in full force in a smile wider than she’d ever seen. He leaned down to kiss her once again, but stopped inches from her face.

 

“But you owe me ten dollars.”


End file.
